Rockford Fosgate Punch Series – Audio System Review

Dec 7, 2016
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4 min read

We sample the Punch Series from Rockford Fosgate

Car audio has come a long way from being just a cassette player paired with a couple of speakers with weedy wiring. Most manufacturers spend countless hours fine-tuning the audio system on their cars. And why not? With traffic getting worse by the day, your best buddy in bumper-to-bumper traffic is the good old music system.

We got our hands on a rather high-end set-up from Rockford Fosgate that consisted of a pair of P165-SE component speakers at the front, a pair of P165 co-axials for the rear and a P3D4-12 subwoofer. All of this was hooked up to the Blaupunkt CapeTown 945 android head unit we reviewed recently. Notably, the speakers were powered by a 400W amplifier (R400-D), whereas the sub got its own powerhouse – a 500W R500X1-D amp.

How much does it cost?

A bit over a lakh. Gulp all you want, but the speakers, subwoofer and amps put together cost six digits. We're discounting the touchscreen head unit here, which costs a cool Rs 55,000 on its own, and also the cost of good-quality wiring.

Here's a break-up of the pricing:

- R400-D – Rs 27,890

- R500X1-D – Rs 25, 790

- P165-E – Rs 19,890

- P165 – Rs 9,900

- P3D4-12 – Rs 34,890

What does it sound like?

Let's go through this one thing at a time. First up, the front speakers (P165-SE). This pair is a component set-up, which means you get a set of tweeters, a set of mid-range speakers and an external crossover. It gets an aluminium frame, whereas the cone itself is moulded propylene. Among the highlights of the components is the fact that it gets Rockford Fosgate's 'FlexFit 2' mounting, which makes it easy to fix across a range of cars.

Among the first things you notice when you start listening is how well the P165-SE distinguishes the mids and the highs. We liked how clarity and quality never took a hit when volumes were deafeningly loud. That said, it does feel a tad too 'high heavy'. While it will be perfectly fine if you like your dose of EDM, some shrill vocals (like AC/DC) will force you to lower the volume or choose a separate equaliser setting. But the sound definitely feels fuller compared to your average OEM set-up.

Speakers at the rear – the P165 – feature an integrated high-pass crossover. It also gets the 'Flexi Fit' mounting tech and the propylene cone. Rockford Fosgate recommends these for "fanatics that need a great sounding speaker to replace factory installed garbage", and it does make a strong case for itself. It isn't all that expensive and delivers quite a punch. But, just like the front speakers, this too sounds shrill when cranked up, and ends up muffling the mids as well. At high volumes, bass managed to get the better of the speaker, leading to a bit of jarring. For the bass addicts, the star of the show was easily the P3D4-12 sub.

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The 12-inch subwoofer features a reversible diamond-cut cast aluminium trim ring, which gives you flexibility during installation. The thump is precise and tight, just how it is supposed to be. I appreciated it a tad more when I could hear … nay … feel every single kick on the bass drum when the system was belting out ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC. It handled House music equally well, dishing out steady mellow bass consistently. The hardware seems impressive too, with the kevlar fibre reinforced paper cone and the anodised aluminium coil former, that helps it manage heat better. And in case you are wondering, yes, you can crank it up to the point where the windows and mirrors vibrate because of the bass. We tried.

Should I invest in a set-up like this?

As individual units, the components, speakers and the subwoofer feel well-rounded and potent. Of course, this particular set-up shone because it was backed up by quality powerhouses (read: the amps) and had appropriate wiring and damping as well. If you are an absolute audiophile, the combo is a worthy upgrade from the stock audio system. The best bit about it is that it won't leave you wanting for more for a very long time.

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